Adams: This weekend looks to be SEC's best

Ohio is at Kentucky, and Arkansas State is at Ole Miss. Does it get any better?

Yes. In fact, everything else is markedly better. And most of it is on television.

Arkansas and Florida play at noon. LSU and Georgia play at 3:30 p.m. UT and Auburn kick off at 7:45 p.m.

Can you remember a better SEC tripleheader? Five of those six teams are nationally ranked, and the Razorbacks are 3-1 with their only loss to Texas.

The lesser games aren't bad, either. South Carolina (3-1) and Alabama (3-1) appear evenly matched, and the winner can still pretend to be in the running for a division championship.

Also, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt will have their best chance for an SEC victory this Saturday. They play each other.

Good Defense Gets Better: After Marshall lost to Georgia, coach Bob Pruett said the Bulldogs "might be the best defensive football team that I've played since I've been coaching."

As good as Georgia's defense was against Marshall, it should be even better Saturday with the return of All-SEC middle linebacker Odell Thurman, who was suspended for the first three games of the season.

"He's a guy that runs so well that he establishes a speed tempo for our defense," Georgia defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder told the Athens Banner-Herald.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Thurman is also one of the hardest hitters in the SEC. He joins a defense full of hard hitters, including safeties Thomas Davis and Greg Blue.

Killer Kickers: LSU coach Nick Saban has a dark analogy for kickers.

"A kicker is like an assassin to me," Saban told the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate last week. "One shot, one bullet, and you've got to take it at the right time and put all your focus and concentration into that moment."

In reference to Chris Jackson, who missed two of his first four field goals this season, Saban said, "If he were an assassin, he'd be using a shotgun right now."

All those assassin and gun references make you wonder what Saban was really thinking after a missed extra point figured prominently in LSU's 10-9 loss to Auburn nine days ago - maybe something like: "I'd like to shoot my kicker."

Jackson needed a shotgun again Saturday. He missed his third extra-point kick in a 51-0 victory over Mississippi State.

Filling Bennett's Shoes: Andy Bailey of Athens, Tenn., is off to a good start as the successor to Georgia placekicker Billy Bennett, the SEC's all-time scoring leader. Bailey has made six of eight field-goal attempts and is 9-for-9 on extra points.

But the next two Saturday's will prove his worth.

Bennett's value as a kicker was realized in big games and clutch situations. Now, it's Bailey's turn.

With a sputtering offense and back-to-back games against LSU and UT, Georgia's success or failure might come down to a Bailey kick.

Will he need a shotgun?

Running Behind: LSU's Justin Vincent was a consensus preseason All-SEC pick and even made some All-America teams. But right now, he's not even the best running back in his living room.

Vincent, who starred in the SEC championship game and Sugar Bowl as a freshman, has been overshadowed this season by the play of his roommate, fellow sophomore Alley Broussard. Broussard rushed for 84 yards against Auburn and had 73 yards and three touchdowns against Mississippi State.

Broussard's yardage is up, but his weight is down. After playing at 250 pounds last season, he has lost 17 pounds.

At Least Southern Miss. Won: The SEC's two Mississippi schools managed to embarrass themselves and the conference Saturday.

Mississippi State managed only seven first downs and gave up 31 in its worst loss since a 52-0 defeat against Florida in 2001. Moreover, it might have lost quarterback Omarr Conner to a knee injury.

Ole Miss went all the way to Wyoming to lose 37-32 as quarterback Ethan Flatt threw four interceptions and lost a fumble for the Rebels (1-3), who are off to their worst start in 16 years.

J.Lo Update: The New York Daily News reported that former Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen is back home in Kentucky, working out and hoping to get a chance in NFL Europe.

"He's not somebody we want to discard," New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said. "He has talent. If he wanted to go to Europe, that would be the ideal place for him."

Lorenzen was drafted by the Giants but never showed up for training camp. He reportedly weighed a maxi-300 pounds for the Giants mini-camp.

Ray Ray Can't Play Play: Senior wide receiver Ray Ray Bivines, who led Mississippi State in receiving two years ago, might not play again this season after undergoing off-season hamstring surgery. Mississippi State might try to get him a medical redshirt.

Bivines, who caught 66 passes in the past two seasons, has been bothered by hamstring injures throughout his career. He has worn a red-cross jersey (to indicate no contact) so often in practice that someone stitched "Ray Ray" on the back.

Top 25 Picks: 1. Oklahoma, 2. USC, 3. Miami, 4. Georgia, 5. Auburn, 6. Texas, 7. Tennessee, 8. Fresno State, 9. Ohio State, 10. West Virginia, 11. Arizona State, 12. Utah, 13. Purdue, 14. Florida State, 15. LSU, 16. Boise State, 17. California, 18. Stanford, 19. Louisville, 20. Virginia, 21. Arkansas, 22. Florida, 23. Minnesota, 24. Oklahoma State, 25. Wisconsin.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.